The calculator counts the pavers and sizes everything beneath them: base stone in tons and loose cubic yards, bedding sand, joint sand, edging and how deep to dig. Its depths follow paving-industry construction standards and manufacturer installation guides, so a driveway on clay gets a much deeper base than a patio on sandy loam.
How to use the paver calculator
Measure the paved area, tell the calculator which edges are open, then describe the pavers and what will cross them.
- Measure the area. Enter each piece as a rectangle (length and width), a circle (the width across), a triangle (its three sides) or a square footage you already know. Build an L-shaped patio from two rectangles, and tick Leave out for a planting pocket or fire-pit pad inside the paving.
- Check the open edges. The calculator starts with the full outline of every shape. Subtract any side that runs along the house, a wall or an existing slab: those edges need no edging, and the base stops there. Where two of your shapes meet, subtract the shared side twice, because it sits inside the paving. A known square footage has no outline, so type its edge length yourself. A Leave out shape is not counted either, so add the perimeter of a planting pocket to the open edges yourself; skip it for a fire-pit pad that is already a slab.
- Pick the paver and the joint. Choose a nominal size, or Other to type the actual length and width of a stone or unusual unit. Joint options run from ⅛ in (3 mm), right for concrete pavers, through ⅜ in (10 mm) for natural stone to 1 in (25 mm) for tumbled or irregular joints. Nominal sizes assume a ⅛ in joint, so a wider joint spreads the pavers and lowers the count; for stone sold at its actual size, choose Other so the whole joint is added to the count.
- Choose the thickness and the extra. Standard 2⅜ in (60 mm) and heavy-duty 3⅛ in (80 mm) pavers change the digging depth, not the count. The extra covers cut pieces and breakage.
- Describe the use and the soil. Choose Patio or walkway or Driveway, then Well-drained soil or Clay, wet or hard frost. Together they set the compacted base depth, which you can overwrite with the figure from your paver maker's installation guide.
The result shows the paver count, base stone, bags of bedding and polymeric sand, edging length, compaction lifts, digging depth and the base footprint. Switch to meters and centimeters at the top if your tape reads metric.
The paver formula, worked through
Every figure comes from three inputs: the paved area, the paver's footprint and the depth of each layer.
- Pavers per square foot = 144 ÷ (nominal length × nominal width in inches), on ⅛ in joints. For a wider joint, add the extra width to each nominal dimension; for an actual size, add the whole joint.
- Pavers to buy = square feet × pavers per square foot × (1 + extra), rounded up.
- Base footprint = the paved area plus a strip along every open edge, as wide as the base runs past it.
- Compacted base = footprint × base depth in inches ÷ 324, in cubic yards, then multiplied by the stone's weight per cubic yard for tons.
- Bedding sand = paved area × sand depth in inches ÷ 324, in cubic yards.
The 324 is 12 inches to the foot times 27 cubic feet to the cubic yard. Here is the patio the calculator opens with: 16 by 12 ft (4.9 × 3.7 m), 4 × 8 in pavers on ⅛ in joints, a patio on well-drained soil, four open edges and 10% extra.
- Area. 16 × 12 = 192 sq ft (17.8 m²).
- Pavers. 144 ÷ 32 = 4.5 per sq ft. 192 × 4.5 = 864 laid; × 1.10 = 950.4, so buy 951.
- Base footprint. The 4 in (10 cm) base runs half a foot past every side, so it covers 17 × 13 = 221 sq ft (20.5 m²).
- Base stone. 221 × 4 ÷ 324 = 2.73 cubic yards (2.09 m³) compacted. × 1.85 = 5.05 tons (4.58 tonnes) dry, or × 1.3 = 3.55 loose cubic yards (2.71 m³).
- Lifts. 4 ÷ 3, rounded up, is 2 lifts.
- Bedding sand. 192 × 1 ÷ 324 = 0.59 cubic yard (0.45 m³), about 0.89 ton (0.81 tonne) in bulk, or 192 ÷ 6 = 32 bags.
- Polymeric sand. 192 ÷ 60 = 3.2, so 4 bags.
- Edging. The whole outline, 56 ft (17.1 m).
Set the same patio against the house along one 16 ft (4.9 m) side and the open edges fall to 40 ft (12.2 m). The footprint shrinks to about 213 sq ft (19.8 m²) and the base to 2.63 cubic yards (2.01 m³), about 4.9 tons (4.4 tonnes). You also buy 16 ft (4.9 m) less edging.
How many pavers per square foot
Smaller pavers mean more per square foot, and because a nominal size already counts a ⅛ in joint, the figures below need no joint added. A wider joint spreads every paver a little farther apart: 4 × 8 in pavers on ⅜ in joints take up 4¼ × 8¼ in and lay at about 4.1 per square foot.
| Nominal size | Pavers per sq ft | Per 100 sq ft, with 10% extra |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in (brick, Holland) | 4.5 | 495 |
| 6 × 6 in | 4 | 440 |
| 6 × 9 in | 2.67 | 294 |
| 8 × 8 in | 2.25 | 248 |
| 12 × 12 in | 1 | 110 |
| 16 × 16 in | 0.56 | 62 |
| 24 × 24 in | 0.25 | 28 |
Nominal sizes include a ⅛ in joint. Many 4 × 8 in pavers are made at 100 × 200 mm (about 3¹⁵⁄₁₆ × 7⅞ in), which lay at about 4.4 per square foot.
A paver sold as 4 × 8 in is made slightly smaller, often 100 × 200 mm (3¹⁵⁄₁₆ × 7⅞ in). With a ⅛ in joint it lays at about 4.4 per square foot, so the calculator's 4.5 builds in under 2% spare. Joints between concrete pavers should run ¹⁄₁₆ to ³⁄₁₆ in (2 to 5 mm), and the spacer bars molded on each side keep them from closing up. Some catalogs list 4.6 per square foot for the same unit, a count that leaves out the joint and buys about 4.5% more than you lay.
For a size not on the list, measure the actual paver and add the joint before dividing. A natural-stone paver 12 × 24 in (30 × 61 cm) on ⅜ in joints takes up 12⅜ × 24⅜ in, or 301.6 sq in, so it lays at 144 ÷ 301.6 = 0.48 per sq ft. Leaving out the joint gives 0.5 and buys about 5% too many.
A border in a different paver, such as a soldier course, needs its own count, because the calculator takes one paver size at a time. Divide the border's length in inches by the width each border paver takes along the run, then add the extra. Count the field by adding the border strip as a Leave out shape, and take base, sand and edging from a run of the full area.
Paver thickness for patios and driveways
Standard 2⅜ in pavers carry patios, walkways and home driveways; 3⅛ in units are meant for pavement under regular vehicle traffic. On a driveway, a paver's length should be no more than 4 times its thickness. A 6 × 9 in paver at 2⅜ in thick passes at 3.8, while a 12 × 12 in (30 × 30 cm) slab of the same thickness, at just over 5, belongs on the patio.
How much extra to order for cuts
Order extra in proportion to how many pavers you will cut, because each cut paver leaves an offcut that often fits nowhere else. No paving standard publishes a waste percentage, so the calculator starts at 10% and offers 5% to 20%; step up as more of the list below applies to your design.
- Running bond or stack bond on a rectangle. Rows run parallel to the edges, so cuts fall only where a length or width is not a whole number of pavers.
- Basketweave and 90-degree herringbone. Paired and zigzag units leave part pavers along every border, whichever way the pattern runs.
- 45-degree patterns. Every paver that meets a straight edge meets it at an angle, so the whole perimeter is cut, and the triangles left over rarely fit elsewhere.
- Curves and circles. Each unit along an arc is cut to it, and a fire-pit surround or curving bed line adds cuts inside the paving too.
- Narrow paths and many corners. A walkway has far more edge per square foot than a square patio, so the same pattern produces a larger share of cuts.
Edge gaps wider than ⅜ in (10 mm) get a cut piece, and on a driveway no cut piece exposed to tires should be smaller than a third of a paver. Avoiding slivers can mean trimming the neighboring paver as well, so one edge gap sometimes costs two pavers.
Herringbone at 45 or 90 degrees is the strongest pattern for a driveway, despite the cuts. It locks units together in every direction and resists the creep that braking and turning tires cause.
How thick to make the base
The base depth depends on what crosses the paving and how well the soil beneath it drains and bears weight; the table gives the calculator's defaults.
| Use | Well-drained soil | Clay, wet ground or hard frost |
|---|---|---|
| Patio or walkway | 4 in (10 cm) base; dig 7 in (18 cm) | 6 in (15 cm) base; dig 9 in (23 cm) |
| Driveway | 8 in (20 cm) base; dig 11 in (28 cm) | 12 in (30 cm) base; dig 15 in (38 cm) |
Compacted base depths. Digging depth adds about 3 in for 2⅜ in pavers on 1 in of sand.
The patio figure on well-drained soil is the paving industry's minimum, and the driveway figure sits at the deep end of its range for home driveways. Clay and silt hold water and lose strength when wet, so those soils, and cold climates, get a thicker base that spreads each load over more soil. Choose the clay column if the soil stays soggy after rain, if the ground was recently dug or filled, or if winters freeze it hard. Ground that stays saturated more than half the year also needs fabric under the base.
Some paver makers print deeper bases still for clay: 8 in or more under a patio and 12 in or more under a driveway. If your paver maker's guide calls for more, type its figure into the base depth field.
The base itself is dense-graded crushed stone: the state highway base used under asphalt, or ASTM D2940 aggregate, the standard grading for highway base stone. Yards sell it as crusher run or ¾ in (20 mm) minus, meaning stone ¾ in and smaller, down to dust, and that mix of sizes is what lets it pack hard. Clear stone with no fines will not pack hard, and the calculator's weights do not apply to it.
Why the base runs past the edges
The base extends at least 6 in (15 cm) past every open edge, or its own thickness if that is more, because the edging is spiked into it. Where the base stops at the paver line, the spikes have nothing firm to grip and the outer rows spread and sink. Edges against the house or a slab need no extension, which is why the calculator asks for open edges.
Compacting in thin lifts
Compact the base in lifts no thicker than 3 in (7.6 cm) with a small plate compactor; one of about 4,000 lb force or more handles 4 in (10 cm). A plate packs stone only to a limited depth, so a base dumped all at once stays loose at the bottom and settles later. Each lift goes down damp and is compacted until the plate starts to bounce slightly instead of vibrating evenly (to at least 98% of standard Proctor density, the figure to ask an installer for).
Finish the top flat to within ⅜ in (10 mm) under a 10 ft (3 m) straightedge, and fill low spots with base stone. Never place stone on frozen ground or compact frozen base, which settles when it thaws.
Ordering base stone by the ton
Order base by weight when you can: compacted dense-graded base weighs about 1.85 tons per cubic yard (2.19 tonnes per m³) dry, and the calculator's tons are that dry figure. Stone arrives damp and weighs about 5% more on the scale, so round up. If the yard sells by volume, loose stone on a truck packs down to roughly three quarters of its volume, so you need about 1.3 loose yards per compacted yard. Ordering loose yards equal to the finished volume leaves you nearly a quarter short. The gravel calculator sizes the same base for shed pads, paths and drives without pavers: choose its Crusher run / road base stone and enter the compacted depth.
Bedding sand and joint sand
Under the pavers goes a 1 in (25 mm) layer of washed, coarse concrete sand (ASTM C33, the sand sold for mixing concrete). Screed it level, leave it uncompacted and keep it no more than 1½ in (38 mm) thick. Mason sand, play sand, stone dust and limestone screenings are wrong for this layer: fine material drains slowly and compacts unevenly, so the surface turns wavy and pavers settle. A thicker bed fails the same way, because the extra sand compresses more than the rest and the dips show through.
Screed only as far ahead as you will lay that day, and keep off the sand once it is smooth. A 60 lb bag that covers 6 sq ft at 1 in implies about 1.6 tons per cubic yard. The calculator uses 1.4 tons (1.66 tonnes per m³) for loose bulk sand, the same figure as the cubic yard calculator, but moisture and grading shift the real weight, so confirm it with your supplier. At 6 sq ft (0.56 m²) per 60 lb (27 kg) bag, bagged sand suits a small landing; anything larger is cheaper and faster in bulk.
Joint sand: plain or polymeric
The sand in the joints is what makes pavers interlock, passing each load from one unit to its neighbors. Plain joint sand can be finer than bedding sand: mason sand (ASTM C144, the finer sand sold for mortar) is the usual grading here, and bedding sand also works with more sweeping. Polymeric sand is joint sand premixed with a binder that stiffens when wetted. It is optional on most home paving and earns its price on slopes steeper than 7%, under eaves and downspouts, and in the wide joints of tumbled pavers.
Polymeric sand needs joints at least ⅛ in (3 mm) wide and empty to at least 1½ in (38 mm) deep. Sweep it onto a completely dry surface, because on damp pavers it leaves a haze and weak joints. Finish it at least ⅛ in (3 mm) below the paver's beveled edge, or below the top on pavers without a bevel. The calculator counts 60 sq ft (5.6 m²) per 50 lb (23 kg) bag for joints under ¾ in (19 mm) and 25 sq ft (2.3 m²) for wider ones, near the low end of bag charts. Coverage rises and falls with paver size and joint width and depth, so the chart on your bag overrides these figures.
For a quick estimate before you measure, the table gives what every 100 square feet takes.
| For every 100 sq ft | Patio, 4 in base | Driveway, 8 in base |
|---|---|---|
| Base stone, compacted | 2.3 tons dry (1.6 cu yd loose) | 4.6 tons dry (3.21 cu yd loose) |
| Bedding sand, 1 in | 17 bags of 60 lb | 17 bags of 60 lb |
| Polymeric sand | 2 bags (narrow joints) or 4 (wide) | 2 bags (narrow joints) or 4 (wide) |
Before the base runs past the edges; well-drained soil. Bag coverage varies by product, so check the label.
Edging, digging depth, slope and fabric
These four details decide how deep you dig, how much edging you buy and whether water leaves the paving.
Edge restraint. Every edge not held by the house or a slab needs one: plastic edging made for pavers, aluminum, steel over a rigid base, or concrete. Flat lawn edging does not qualify, and backfilled soil never does. Spike it into the compacted base rather than setting it on the bedding sand, and give it at least 1 in (25 mm) of contact with the sides of the pavers. The calculator's edging length is your open-edge figure. A 12 in (30 cm) strip of geotextile laid along the restraint stops bedding sand washing out beneath it.
Digging depth. Dig to the base depth plus the paver and sand, less about ⅜ in (10 mm), the amount the pavers settle into the sand during compaction and afterward; the base table gives the totals. Heavy-duty 3⅛ in pavers deepen the hole by their extra ¾ in (2 cm). Dig as wide as the base footprint, take out roots, topsoil and soft spots, and compact the exposed soil before any stone goes in. The cubic yard calculator gives the volume of soil coming out, for haul-away.
Slope. Slope the finished surface away from the house at ¼ in per foot (2 cm per meter), a 2% grade. Paver makers variously call 2% a patio's minimum and its maximum, so stay close to it. Below 1.5%, about ³⁄₁₆ in per foot, water ponds, while walkways may run as steep as 5% if the surface is non-slip. Across a 12 ft (3.7 m) patio, 2% is a fall of 2.9 in (7.3 cm). Shape the soil under the base to the same fall so water that seeps into the base drains out too.
Geotextile. Lay fabric between the compacted soil and the base on clay, silty soil, ground that stays wet part of the year and in freeze-thaw climates, so fine soil cannot work up into the stone. Use woven or non-woven fabric with openings no larger than 0.60 mm, overlap seams at least 12 in down the slope and turn it up the sides of the excavation. Fabric protects the base's strength but does not justify a thinner one, and it never goes on top of the bedding sand.
What a paver patio costs installed
National cost surveys updated between 2022 and 2026 put an installed paver patio at about $4.50 to $25 per square foot, and the two most recent agree on $8 to $21. Labor is roughly half the bill, about $5 to $20 per square foot, while concrete pavers alone run about $4 to $6.
The spread comes from the same decisions the calculator makes. A driveway or clay base can double or triple the stone and deepens the dig, 45-degree and curved layouts add cutting time, and every open foot of edge needs restraint. Site work is priced on top, from grading to hauling away soil or breaking out an old slab. A sand-set patio without a slab often needs no permit, but check with your town before you dig.
To compare quotes fairly, ask each installer for the compacted base depth, the base stone and the edging they plan to use. A low bid with a thin base costs more when it has to be relaid.
Laying day: the mistakes that waste material
Four habits on laying day keep pavers, sand and base from being bought twice.
- Call 811 a few days before digging, never less than two. Buried lines get marked, and the layout can change before any stone arrives.
- Seat the pavers before the joint sand. Run a plate compactor of at least 5,000 lb force over the laid pavers, at least two passes, then sweep in dry joint sand and compact again until the joints are full. Fit a protective pad or roller, because a bare steel plate scuffs textured pavers.
- Close up each day's work. Leave every paver within 6 ft (1.8 m) of the laying face compacted with full joints, and cover exposed bedding sand if rain is coming.
- Check the finish. Neighboring pavers should differ in height by no more than ⅛ in (3 mm), and the pavers can finish ⅛ to ¼ in (3 to 6 mm) above the planned finished height to allow for minor settling.
Before you order, lay out the patio and the planting around it in Sow's garden design studio and take your measurements from the plan.